Freedom of the Seas Awards: Honoring Those Who Keep the World Connected

Freedom of the Seas Awards: Honoring Those Who Keep the World Connected

Most Americans benefit from freedom of the seas every day without realizing it.

It is present when food, medicine, fuel, electronics, automobiles, and household goods arrive at American ports. It supports the jobs of longshore workers, truck drivers, mariners, engineers, manufacturers, farmers, logistics professionals, and countless others. It allows nations to trade, communicate, respond to disasters, and travel across oceans under a shared system of international law.

None of this happens automatically.

Open sea lanes depend on diplomacy, international cooperation, commercial investment, technological innovation, humanitarian leadership, and maritime forces prepared to protect the lawful use of the oceans.

The National Museum of the Surface Navy established the Freedom of the Seas Awards to recognize the individuals and organizations carrying out that work—and to help the public understand why their contributions matter.

What Does Freedom of the Seas Mean?

Freedom of the seas is the principle that nations have the right to navigate, trade, and operate lawfully across the world’s oceans.

It is more than the movement of Navy ships. It includes commercial shipping, international trade, communications, scientific exploration, humanitarian assistance, and the peaceful relationships that allow nations to use the oceans for mutual benefit.

International law protects navigational rights, freedom of overflight, innocent passage, and other lawful uses of the sea. When excessive maritime claims, conflict, piracy, coercion, or attacks on commercial vessels threaten those rights, the consequences can extend far beyond the region where the disruption occurs.

Shipping routes change. Deliveries are delayed. Insurance and transportation costs rise. Energy and commodity markets are affected. Those costs eventually reach businesses and families thousands of miles away.

UN Trade and Development reports that more than 80% of the world’s merchandise trade by volume moves by sea. Freedom of the seas is therefore not an abstract naval concept. It is a foundation of the modern global economy.

Learn more from UN Trade and Development’s Review of Maritime Transport.

Why We Created the Freedom of the Seas Awards

The work required to keep the oceans open, secure, productive, and peaceful is often invisible to the public.

Most people see a product arrive at a store without seeing the ship that carried it, the mariners who crossed the ocean, the port workers who unloaded it, the truck drivers who moved it, or the naval forces that helped keep its route open.

The Freedom of the Seas Awards make those connections visible.

The awards recognize people and organizations whose leadership reflects the principles of America’s Surface Navy and advances maritime peace and prosperity. Honorees come from the military, government, diplomacy, industry, science, technology, humanitarian service, education, and the community.

Bringing these sectors together is intentional. No single institution preserves freedom of the seas by itself.

Navies protect lawful access and help deter conflict. Diplomats build relationships and resolve disputes. Commercial carriers and port workers move the world’s goods. Engineers and innovators develop the technology that makes maritime operations safer and more effective. Humanitarian organizations respond when disasters and conflict place lives at risk. Educators and community leaders prepare the next generation to continue the work.

The awards recognize extraordinary achievement, but they also serve a larger purpose: helping people understand how these efforts connect and why the maritime world matters to their lives.

Why the Awards Belong at America’s Port

There may be no more appropriate place to hold the Freedom of the Seas Awards than aboard Battleship IOWA at the Port of Los Angeles.

Known as America’s Port, the Port of Los Angeles has ranked as the busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere for 26 consecutive years. In 2025 alone, the port handled approximately 10.2 million twenty-foot equivalent container units and $301 billion in cargo.

In 2025, the Port of Los Angeles accounted for about 17% of all containerized waterborne international trade handled by the United States. Together, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handled approximately 31%.

The economic reach extends far beyond the waterfront. According to the Port of Los Angeles, port activity supports approximately 126,000 jobs in Los Angeles, 444,000 jobs across the five-county Southern California region, and 1.3 million jobs throughout the United States.

Review the Port of Los Angeles Facts and Figures.

Those numbers explain why freedom of the seas matters here.

The containers moving past Battleship IOWA carry goods to communities across the country. The ships entering and leaving San Pedro Bay depend on open sea lanes, stable international relationships, modern technology, trained maritime professionals, and a secure global trading system.

At the Port of Los Angeles, the connection between naval service and civilian life is not theoretical. It is visible from the deck.

Battleship IOWA bridges these worlds. The ship represents the sailors and naval power that helped protect the seas during a pivotal period in history. The working port surrounding her demonstrates how secure oceans continue to support trade, jobs, and everyday life today.

Remembering the Battle of Leyte Gulf

The Freedom of the Seas Awards are held in connection with the anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, fought October 23–26, 1944.

Widely regarded as the largest naval battle in history, Leyte Gulf involved hundreds of ships and an enormous geographic area around the Philippines. The battle was decisive in the Allied effort to liberate the Philippines and demonstrated the courage, sacrifice, coordination, and operational reach of America’s naval forces.

Leyte Gulf also marked a turning point in the United States Navy's emergence as the dominant maritime force, helping protect open sea lanes in the decades that followed.

The anniversary gives the awards historical grounding, but the event is not solely about looking backward. The challenges faced by today’s sailors, mariners, diplomats, innovators, and humanitarian leaders show that every generation must protect freedom of the seas.

Explore the history of the Battle of Leyte Gulf through the Naval History and Heritage Command.

What the Freedom of the Seas Awards Recognize

The award categories reflect the many forces that make maritime peace and prosperity possible.

Freedom of the Seas Award

The capstone Freedom of the Seas Award recognizes an accomplished individual or organization that embodies the Surface Navy’s responsibility to protect and defend the oceans for the benefit of the free world.

Past recipients demonstrate the range of leadership required to advance this mission:

• Former National Security Advisor and Ambassador Robert C. O’Brien in 2021
• U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in 2022
• Retired Admiral Philip S. Davidson in 2023
• U.S. Surface Forces operating in the Red Sea in 2024
• Retired Navy Commander and undersea explorer Victor Vescovo in 2025

These honorees represent diplomacy, national security, food security, maritime defense, scientific exploration, and public service.

VADM Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Leadership Award

The VADM Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Leadership Award honors people who demonstrate the courageous and trailblazing leadership exemplified by Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely Jr.

Gravely broke barriers throughout his career. He became the first African American to command a U.S. Navy warship, the first to command a fleet, and the first to attain the rank of vice admiral.

The award preserves his legacy by recognizing leaders who open doors for others, confront barriers, and demonstrate excellence through service.

Recipients have included Admiral Michelle Howard, Rear Admiral Sinclair Harris, Major General Peter Gravett, Dr. Wanda M. Austin, Judge Mablean Ephriam, Antwone Fisher, Noel Massie, Command Master Chief Octavia Harris, Stephanie C. Hill, and Tanya Acker.

Innovation and Exploration Award

Maritime progress has always depended on people willing to move beyond established limits.

The Innovation and Exploration Award recognizes individuals and organizations that pioneer research, develop transformative technology, and expand human knowledge and capability.

Past recipients include Dr. Gladys West, whose mathematical modeling contributed to the development of GPS, and Lockheed Martin, recognized in 2025 for its pioneering work integrating artificial intelligence into the Aegis Command and Decision system.

The award connects the history of naval innovation with future advances in navigation, communications, defense, engineering, exploration, and maritime safety.

International Diplomacy Award

Introduced for 2026, the International Diplomacy Award recognizes leaders who advance relationships among nations, represent American interests, embody sound policy, and work to resolve complex international issues.

Naval power and diplomacy are closely connected. Ships can deter aggression and protect lawful access, but lasting maritime stability also requires communication, partnerships, negotiated agreements, and trust among nations.

This award recognizes the people building those relationships.

Humanitarian Service Award

Surface Navy ships do more than deter conflict. Their mobility, trained crews, aviation capabilities, communications systems, and onboard medical and logistical resources allow them to respond when earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, fires, conflict, or other emergencies strike communities.

The Humanitarian Service Award recognizes individuals and organizations that demonstrate the courage and determination necessary to navigate troubled waters and help people in need.

Past recipients include Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Director Jim Zenner, California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, philanthropic leader Lisa Argyros, and advocate Kerri Kasem.

Commerce and Communications Award

Freedom of the seas supports the movement of both goods and information.

The Commerce and Communications Award recognizes leaders in shipping, logistics, transportation, and communications whose work uses the oceans for society's benefit.

Past recipients include UPS, the California Trucking Association, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. Together, these recipients represent the supply chain that connects a ship arriving at the port with businesses and households across America.

This category has particular meaning at the Port of Los Angeles, where maritime commerce becomes jobs, economic activity, and goods used throughout the country.

Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes individuals who have dedicated their careers to the maritime industry and demonstrated exceptional leadership at sea and ashore.

Recipients Captain Roger Easton, USN (Ret.), and Captain Bill Erickson, USN (Ret.), represent the experience, commitment, and institutional knowledge required to sustain the maritime community across generations.

Inspiring the Next Generation

Recognition alone is not enough. Those who come next must carry forward the legacy of today's leaders.

The Freedom of the Seas program includes the VADM Samuel L. Gravely Jr. Student Scholarship, which invites eligible 11th-grade students to participate in an essay competition exploring leadership and Admiral Gravely’s legacy. Scholarship awards range from $500 to $2,500.

The scholarship connects the awards directly to education and opportunity. Students learn about a leader who overcame barriers, achieved a series of historic firsts, and demonstrated what can happen when talent, perseverance, and service are given room to succeed.

This investment in young people reflects a central purpose of the Freedom of the Seas Awards: inspiring future sailors, maritime professionals, public servants, innovators, diplomats, and community leaders.

Connecting the Military, Public, and Private Sectors

The Freedom of the Seas Awards bring together leaders from the military, government, education, veterans’ organizations, industry, philanthropy, and the community.

That gathering is important because maritime challenges rarely fit within the boundaries of a single organization.

A disruption at sea may require a naval response, diplomatic engagement, commercial rerouting, port coordination, emergency management, new technology, or humanitarian assistance. The relationships built before a crisis can determine how effectively organizations work together when one occurs.

The awards create a place for those relationships to grow while recognizing the people already setting an example.

Honoring the Extraordinary

The Freedom of the Seas Awards ultimately make an essential but often overlooked idea understandable.

The freedom to navigate the oceans affects national security, international relations, economic prosperity, humanitarian response, technological progress, and Americans' daily lives. It exists because generations of sailors, mariners, diplomats, workers, innovators, and civic leaders have accepted responsibility for protecting and strengthening it.

By honoring their achievements aboard Battleship IOWA at America’s Port, the National Museum of the Surface Navy connects history's lessons with today's challenges and tomorrow's possibilities.

The message is simple: freedom of the seas is not guaranteed. We preserve it through service, leadership, cooperation, and vigilance.

Those who carry that responsibility deserve recognition.

Attend or Support the Freedom of the Seas Awards

The sixth annual Freedom of the Seas Awards Dinner will be held aboard Battleship IOWA on October 24, 2026, as the nation celebrates America’s 250th birthday.

The evening brings together leaders from the military, maritime industry, government, education, veterans, business, and the community to honor extraordinary service and strengthen the relationships that support America’s maritime future.

By attending, sponsoring, or supporting the Freedom of the Seas Awards, you help the National Museum of the Surface Navy share this important story, recognize exceptional leadership, and inspire the next generation.

Join us aboard Battleship IOWA at America’s Port and help honor those who keep the world connected.